"Drip..."
In the dim, boundless space, the sound of dripping water gently rippled outward.
"Slap! Slap!"
"Slap! Slap!"
"Tap, tap, tap!"
Then came a series of footsteps splashing across the water's surface, followed by hands striking something hard.
"Mm... I'm back."
Then, a soft voice rose, as though someone had finally been relieved of a burden.
"Rustle..."
Finally, the sound of something scraping against a hard surface brought the slapping and tapping to an end.
So this Sealed Space was this big?
Leaning against the sealing gate, Chiba slowly sat down and let out a soft sigh, tinged with disappointment.
Even though he had prepared himself mentally, when he truly came up empty-handed at such a critical moment, he could not help but sigh.
Chiba had already been on the losing side. This was practically a last-ditch struggle. Now that he was trapped in this Sealed Space, he had no clue how to get out. After all, every time he had left before, it had been passive. This time, he was trying to leave of his own accord—and unlike before, he was inside the sealing gate of the Sealed Space.
To be honest, over that long stretch just now, he had tried countless times to push the gate open. Unfortunately, it had not budged in the slightest.
By all rights, he should not have held out any hope. All that remained was to close his eyes and wait for death.
But he was still alive. Though his spiritual body was trapped here, though he had lost control of his physical body and had no way to leave, he was still Chiba. He had never been someone who would close his eyes and wait to die.
Even without hope, he would not sit still.
After failing to push open the gate,